


Agree To Disagree

by Stardust_Steel



Series: The Sun and Moon [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: BAMF Vegeta, BAMF goku, Final Battle, Fluff, Goku and vegeta care for eachother in their own dysfunctional way, M/M, Movie: Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Saiyan Culture, Saiyan Instincts, Smart Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Sweet, Vegeta being Vegeta (Dragon Ball), battle husbands, headcanons, real life couples disagree but make it work, they do too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:48:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29262267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stardust_Steel/pseuds/Stardust_Steel
Summary: After the fight against Broly, Goku confronts Vegeta and they come to an understanding.Why Vegeta kills so callously, while Goku forgives so easily.
Relationships: Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball)
Series: The Sun and Moon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148906
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31





	Agree To Disagree

**Author's Note:**

> I'm "stardust-steel" on Tumblr or "stardust_steel" on Instagram, I'd love to chat any db/kakavege/life things with you :) come find me!
> 
> Some of you may be familiar with this fic snippet from my multichaptered collection "This Space Between Us" (TSBU.) The reason I am updating this as a separate fic along with the others soon to follow is due to reader comments about tag sensitivity among different chapters. I won't elaborate but please let me know if this needs more tags :) I am learning, please be kind! 
> 
> TSBU will be taken down a month from now and continued as a series, so if anyone is really attached to it please download it :) Thank you for staying with me!

**A - Agree to disagree**

They are arguing again. It is a common occurrence for the both of them, one baiting, the other responding. Goku usually enjoys the verbal spars between him and Vegeta as much as he enjoys their physical ones, but this time, he can’t shake off the actual irritation he feels.

Unresolved tension from recent events with Broly made them even more fiery than usual. This time, it is Goku picking a fight, a little disturbed at how ruthless the prince had been in almost disposing Broly, a lost saiyan who had only recently been discovered, resulting in one very big, murderous misunderstanding.

“I really don’t understand why you had to try and kill him, Vegeta!” Goku is trying to keep his voice level, but it is failing. “He’s another full-blooded saiyan, like us! It’s not like there’s many left.”

Vegeta sneers. “In case you didn’t notice, Kakarot, that big brute you’re so fond of was trying to kill **_me_ **first.”

Goku ignores the jibe about being fond of Broly- that will be something he addresses another time. Vegeta is a master of swaying arguments from their main point, but Goku knows his ploys too well and refuses to humor the prince this time. “Broly didn’t know any better,” Goku argues, adding in the killer: “he was just like you when you first came to Earth, Vegeta.”

Predictably, Vegeta bristles. “Don’t compare me to him, I’m a prince-”

“Yes you are,” Goku agrees, “which means you should be protecting other saiyans, not killing them off!” 

Immediately the younger saiyan knows he has phrased it wrongly: Vegeta never likes being told what he should or should not do. He dislikes his royalty being challenged even less. The prince’s gaze becomes cool, condescending, and dangerous, reminiscent of the first time they had faced off on the cliffs. “Don’t you dare presume to tell me what royalty of any kind should be doing, Kakarot, especially when you know **_fuck all_ **about saiyans and our heritage. Not that you’ve ever bothered to **_ask_ **.”

Goku winces. Yeah, okay, he walked into that one. He rapidly feels like he is losing thread of the argument, despite his earlier resolution to not be misled. “Okay, yeah,” Goku admits quietly. Give in a bit, then push back. “But that’s not the point, Vegeta.”

Vegeta smirks languidly at him. Taunting? It drives Goku mad. “Then what is the point?”

“That you were trying to kill someone- Broly, saiyan, whoever, it doesn’t matter!” Goku’s voice rises. “You didn’t even give him a chance. I thought you’d…”

“Changed?” Vegeta’s smile is dark. Goku doesn’t like that smile, it is a broken, bitter thing, and he dislikes even less that it is a look Vegeta wears well. “You always think too much of me, Kakarot. I’m a monster. Once a monster, always a monster. Destined for hell.”

Something in Goku snaps. He really really doesn’t like it when anyone speaks badly of the people he cares about. Especially Vegeta, even if it is Vegeta himself. 

Vegeta looks alarmed to suddenly find himself trapped between Goku and the cliffside. “Don’t talk about yourself like that,” Goku growls at the prince. “I don’t like it.” His hands bracket Vegeta’s shoulders on either side. Goku has never used the height difference between them before, but he presses his advantage now to cage the smaller saiyan in. Vegeta snarls, clearly not liking this, but Goku pays it no mind, only pressing his weight flush against the prince and trapping him further. _You want to fight me so much, then let’s fight where you hurt the most._

The smaller of the two gasps at the contact, but recovers quickly enough, face set in glare that would have set any lesser person on fire. “Kakarot, you **_insolent_** -”

Goku touches his forehead to Vegeta’s softly. He hopes the meaningfulness behind the gesture would render the prince silent. True enough, Vegeta quiets down, staring at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. 

Vegeta had taught him this, some time back when Goku had suffered a panic attack and needed soothing: this saiyan gesture for comfort, for trust, for greeting people you care deeply for. To an outsider it would look physically intimate, and it is, but for saiyans, it is more than that. It says, _I see you as you are. I open myself to you. I care for you._

All the fight seems to go out of the prince, and Goku uses it to press his forehead against Vegeta’s a little firmer. He knows if Vegeta really wanted to, Vegeta could fight his way out. Which means there is a part of the prince that needed to hear this as much as Goku wanted to say it. “You won’t let yourself see or admit it, Vegeta, and you insist you’re a monster, but I know you’re better than you think you are. I **_know_ **.” 

This close, he can see everything that reflects in Vegeta’s eyes. All the fragile pride, the uncertainty. “All I’ve ever done is proven you wrong, Kakarot.”

Goku has to chuckle at that. Always wants to win, this one, even at his own detriment. “I don’t think so. I’ve been right about you loads of times, Vegeta.” The Earth saiyan drops his voice deliberately into a lower octave, in the way he knows makes Vegeta’s knees weak. “I know I’m right about this, too. Don’t try to fight me.”

The prince tilts his head up to meet Goku’s eyes, bringing their lips dangerously close. Even in this compromised position, he is trying to remain in control. “Aggressive today, aren’t we.”

Goku keeps the prince guessing. He breaks their eye contact, dipping his head low and nuzzling the prince’s neck, planting kisses along his throat. Vegeta hisses softly. “Only for my prince,” Goku whispers, watching as the compact frame before him _shudders_ at the word.

“Ah…” Vegeta’s whimper makes sets something on fire within Goku. 

Despite the frisson of sexual tension between them, and wanting to go a lot further, Goku knows now is not the time. Their argument needed a resolution. Vegeta seems to know this too, as he places his gloved palm on Goku’s sternum and pushes him away in a manner that is oddly gentle. Goku’s heart melts, and he allows himself to be pushed back only because of the softness of the gesture.

“Enough, Kakarot.” Vegeta’s voice is gruff, he sounds like he is still trying to catch his breath. “We need to sort this out, else we’ll forever be at each other’s throats.”

“...and that’s bad because…?” Goku asks cheekily. Being at Vegeta’s throat in sparring or… something more… is not a visual image he particularly disagrees with.

Vegeta flushes at his audacity. Goku beams- it is a cute look on the prince. As always, Vegeta rises to the challenge. “While I don’t particularly mind bashing your face into the ground, _or into other things_ …” the older saiyan pauses, lidding his eyes, giving Goku a onceover that makes Goku shiver this time, “we need to put this behind us.”

Much as the childish part of Goku just wants to play around, he recognizes the legendary levels of maturity and patience that Vegeta is displaying in wanting to resolve this instead of running the heck away. Past-Vegeta definitely would have. 

So Goku returns the consideration and nods. He flops down to the ground, sitting in a cross legged position.

Vegeta looks a little nonplussed at the way Goku is blinking up at him in a friendly, open manner, probably jarred at the very sudden mood whiplash between them.

The younger saiyan resorts to the tactic that almost always works with Vegeta, and that is to be as honest and upfront as possible so Vegeta cannot misread him.

“Vegeta, please,” Goku says softly, patting the ground in front of him in invitation. “I’m not… trying to pick a fight with you. I’m trying to understand.”

Vegeta looks like he is warring with himself silently. Goku waits patiently, keeping his eyes wide and his posture open. 

Sometimes the prince opens up better when Goku is aggressive, probably due to their saiyan nature and the inherent attraction towards a challenge. Sometimes a softer approach works better, though, and honestly, it is the approach Goku prefers, as he doesn’t think that the prince has had much gentleness in his life. It is always a guessing game for Goku, and that itself is a formidable challenge, like Vegeta.

Thankfully, this time softness seems to work. A cautious Vegeta approaches and sits to face him, their knees almost touching. Goku’s breath catches. Outside of rage-fuelled battles, Vegeta never does anything without careful deliberation, especially in the realm of physical contact. So for him to sit so close...

Slowly, slowly, Goku reaches one hand out, giving Vegeta plenty of time to back away should the prince decide to. He gently strokes Vegeta’s temple, the one he had almost bashed into a rock in their earlier fight, before resting his hand to cup the prince’s cheek.

That Vegeta allows him speaks volumes. Goku feels something in his chest expand. “Vegeta…”

“Kakarot.” The prince takes a deep breath. “Broly.” Goku waits. Vegeta doesn’t look away. “What is your interest in him?”

That… is not the conversation Goku is expecting, but he plays along. They may as well address this now. 

Were it any other time, he might have made fun of Vegeta’s apparent jealousy, but he instinctively knows not to right then. “Aw, Vegeta, it’s not like that,” Goku chuckles quietly. “I mean, sure, I think he’ll be a great sparring partner - he’s got so much raw power!” The prince’s expression twists. Goku rushes his next words: “But more than that, the poor guy’s gone through a lot, don’t you think? He deserves to live properly To get some chance at having some fun. Kinda like you.”

Vegeta bristles at the comparison once again, but Goku doesn’t let the prince go there, blindsiding him with his next words. “But - Broly isn’t you. You’re the only one I want, as my rival, as the prince of my heart, Vegeta. ” Goku’s tone is teasing, but his eyes are serious. 

Vegeta’s face turns red, scoffing at Goku’s cheesy choice of words, but trapped in Goku’s gentle grasp, he cannot hide anywhere, and does not try. Goku lets the moment and words sink in. 

But Goku is not the kind of person who sacrifices his beliefs even for his loved ones. He offers up quietly: “...I’m not happy that you almost tried to kill Broly, though.”

Give and take, this game between them. As equals, Goku expects no less from Vegeta, so he waits for the prince’s honesty in turn.

“...I know you’re disappointed.” Vegeta’s tone is quiet, too, but firm, unapologetic. “But I have no regrets about trying to kill him. If we turn back time and everything were to repeat, I would do it again.”

Goku frowns, mouth turning down at the corners, and this time it is Vegeta who reaches out, flicking his bangs aside lightly. The younger saiyan blinks a little at the gesture, heart warming a bit even as he drops his hand away from Vegeta’s cheek to rest on the prince’s knee. “Why, though?” Goku asks.

“Kakarot, if Broly had somehow managed to kill me under Paragus’ orders- not that he stood a chance,” Vegeta scoffs, and Goku has to smile a bit at the show of very-Vegeta-like arrogance. “Who do you think he would have gone after next? Bulma, Bulla, Trunks, without a doubt.” 

_Oh._ The twin feelings of protectiveness for his oldest friend’s family and his natural tendency to see the best in others war within Goku. “I don’t think Broly’s like that, Vegeta. He was going after you because his father told him to. He wouldn’t have gone after your family.”

Something in the prince’s face tightens. “You don’t know that for sure. And unlike you, I won’t take that chance, Kakarot. I won’t allow it. I can’t allow it. Not after - everything... I lost... Everything I've done... and still, somehow, through some madness I found **this**... I can't - I can’t even **chance** it.” Vegeta’s face suddenly turns cold, jaw clenching, and he leans away from Goku, dislodging the hand that rests on his knee. “If that makes me different, and **_bad_** to you, so be it.”

Goku immediately misses their proximity. He is also starting to realise, slowly, that this matter is something he and Vegeta might never see eye-to-eye on. 

Okay. He can understand Vegeta’s desire to protect the things he had found so hard to come by, but… “Don’t you think that having someone stronger to keep us on our toes is a good thing?” Goku risks asking. “Especially when they become one of the good guys, sooner or later? Isn’t it worth it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“...Forget it.” Vegeta shakes his head, moving as if to get up. Goku catches the prince’s wrist before he can run. “Hey,” the younger saiyan says pleadingly, both with his eyes and his voice. “Vegeta, c’mon, we got this far - let’s not stop here, yeah? I really… want to understand...” 

Something in Goku’s face must have shown his sincerity, as Vegeta deflates and stops trying to struggle. “Kakarot… you and I see the world very differently,” Vegeta rubs his eyes. “Surely you realise this. For you, someone stronger is an exciting step to the next level. A new enemy is an adventure. Hell, being defeated can even be a good thing, like you were with Beerus. That… is very admirable. Very... saiyan of you.” 

The prince looks pained by the admission. Goku doesn’t see what is so admirable about it, it is just what he feels, it doesn’t make him better or worse than anyone else. But he respects Vegeta enough not to question it, so he waits. 

The prince’s tone drops to a whisper. Like he doesn't want to say this, like he would never say this, except that they were equals who deserve the truth ffrom eachother, and the first step is to admit it to themselves. “For all my life, Kakarot, someone stronger is someone who can and **_will_ **humiliate me. They will **_hurt_** me, or hurt the people I need to protect. So I will never… be able to think that someone stronger is good. I will never want to. I have no desire to keep hanging around anyone who has the potential and ability to kill me.”

Goku stays quiet as he processes that. It is sad to hear somewhat, the hard life Vegeta has been through, and he tries to keep the sympathy away from his eyes, because if there is anything the prince cannot stand, it is pity.

“Okay. I get that.” Vegeta looks almost surprised. But Goku isn’t done, he has to press another question. “But Vegeta, sometimes bad people are just people who don’t know any better… like Broly… like you. If they don’t get a chance, isn’t it a waste to just kill them off? All that potential, all the good they could have done.” _All the good you could have done and you do_ , Goku wills the prince to understand. Would have been a waste to lose all that.

To his credit, Vegeta seems to hear the unspoken words instead of focusing on the comparison. “You got lucky with me, Kakarot. Anyone with half a brain would have killed me off the first time we met.”

The idea makes Goku’s skin crawl. The mental image feels so hateful, too- **_wrong_ **. Like a mistake, like missed opportunity, like heartbreak. Where would Goku be now if he had made that choice then, if Vegeta wasn’t in front of him now? 

Vegeta sees the way the younger saiyan’s face twists and chuckles. “Kakarot… You’re too soft for your own good. You see the good in everyone, you give everyone a chance, even Frieza.” Goku ignored the soft barb. “You’re too trusting. It’s a miracle you made it this far.”

“I did technically die twice,” Goku reminds the prince playfully. 

“So did I, so we’re even, I suppose,” Vegeta says wryly. “My point still sta-”

For the second time that day, Goku surprises the prince into silence. He draws nearer to Vegeta, once again bringing their foreheads close enough to almost touch. “Giving everyone a chance is different from trusting everyone,” Goku corrects. What a role reversal, him correcting Vegeta. “I give them a chance. I **_trust_** you. I’d trust you with anything, I believe in **_you_ **, Vegeta. There’s a difference.”

Vegeta’s breath hitches, and this time Goku is fairly sure it has nothing to do with their proximity.

“You trust me too much, Kakarot,” the prince whispers. There’s an odd note of uncertainty in his voice that Goku doesn’t like. 

“Nah,” Goku smiles, his eyes meeting Vegeta’s with all the fondness he feels, all the faith. “It’s just right.” **_This is just right_ **. 

And with those words it is like Vegeta… opens to him, the walls melting away, his eyes baring the complete adoration and devotion for Goku that Goku knows is there, that Bulma knew was there before either of them did. 

“You’re always too hard on yourself, you know,” Goku says softly, holding the prince’s gaze. _Don’t look away now, please._ This strange new turf between them still had to be explored. “We think differently, but that doesn’t mean either of us are wrong, or bad. We’re just us, saiyans with different views.” 

“And what happens the next time our views clash, Kakarot?” Vegeta asks, his voice quiet, steely. “The next time an enemy shows up and threatens to kill everyone. I’m not going to start showing mercy and be all forgiving just because you are.”

“Well… we’ll sort it out. You’re gonna have to get stronger than me to get the final say, and I’ll have to get stronger than you to win too!” Goku grins, trying to cajole his rival, trying to bring some warmth into their conversation. 

It works. Vegeta smirks a bit at his audacity and challenge. “As if I’d ever let you win, clown.”

Goku sighs internally in relief, grateful they had this dynamic. He lets his head fall back slightly. “Ah well… we’ve always been very different. I guess we can at least agree that we both love a good challenge, anything for a good fight!”

Goku’d meant it as a statement, not a question, but Vegeta does a confusing thing where he both tries to avert his eyes and keep looking back. It’s funny and awfully sad and extremely cute, and Goku’s had Pan to compare with in the cuteness factor. 

“Kakarot...” Vegeta takes a deep breath. Goku waits for it, not pushing, understanding instinctively that whatever the proud saiyan is about to say would be hard for him. He is rewarded when Vegeta continues. “About that... Saiyans supposedly love fighting for its own sake. And yet… despite being the prince, there was a long period of my life when I thought I could never appreciate fighting for the pure joy of it again—not after what I’d done, and what I’d seen others do, just to survive.”

“But you...the first time we fought, you changed that for me. Even in a moment so tense and bordering on life and death, it was unmistakable how much you enjoyed fighting. It made me… for the first time, I wanted to fight for the sake of the challenge. I wanted to win, not because it was the only way to live, but to actually win. And even when I lost…” Goku tries to speak, wants to point out that their first fight had never been resolved, three against one, no less, but Vegeta talks over him, “...I didn’t see death, I saw— possibility. I swore the next time that I would win. And Kakarot, every time I have seen you fight since, it has been an act of love and excitement. You’re not a destroyer - you fight for the thrill of it. The way a true saiyan would. And you reignited that for me, in a way I never thought I’d live to see.” 

“You put too much in what a real saiyan would do,” Goku says gently. “You’re saiyan, Vegeta, you’re the prince of all saiyans, in fact, so what you do stands as what a saiyan does, too. We’re not one mould. We can’t all have been the same. ”

“...True.” Finally Vegeta’s gaze flickers away, though his head remains high. He looks pained. “What I’m trying to say is… Thank you.”

That floors Goku. 

There are many things Goku wants to reply, but he senses that the entire thought that hadn’t been easy for Vegeta to say aloud—probably something that hadn’t been easy for the proud prince to admit even to himself, let alone to look at head-on long enough to form entire sentences. That kind of courage deserves to be acknowledged.

“That’s… you’re crediting me too much Vegeta.” Goku shakes his head. “I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” 

“For what, my status as King of Bad Decisions and spectacular ability to fuck things up?” The tilt of Vegeta’s lips is too dark to be considered a smile, even if it is in the neighborhood of one. 

Goku winces. There it is, that curious warring force Vegeta has within himself that Goku’s glimpsed over the years - the fierce arrogance and fiery pride, faced off with some unhealthy amounts of self deprecation. Goku sees it, Goku knows it, Goku’s never been able to talk about it because it isn’t his place, but now is the time. This is... as honest as Vegeta would probably ever get with him, so Goku decides to be honest in turn, and hopes fervently it won’t send the flighty prince running, or alternately blasting him in the face. 

“No, you don’t give yourself enough credit for your ability to adapt and learn and grow.” Goku scoots a little closer. “You’ve changed me too, you know. I didn’t want to learn that I was a saiyan, I didn’t like what it meant, but you showed me that there’s more to us than just being bloodthirsty...”

“-through what, crushing all of your bones and trying to kill your firstborn?” Vegeta interrupts.

“No!” Goku flails a bit, “Argh, give me a second, Vegeta, I’m not so good with words!” And finally that smirk finally has enough pieces to be considered whole. Goku’s mouth works for a bit before he gives up trying to say the right thing, and just says what he feels. “Honestly, Vegeta, after I met you, I learnt saiyans could be not just cruel, but proud, and strong, and and adaptable and just… amazing." Goku smiles at Vegeta's flushing, secretly happy that he seems to be the only one able to bring that about. "I can’t explain it like you do, but - I honestly don’t know, if our places had been switched, if I’d have been able to be like you.”

“...like me?” Goku has to hand it to Vegeta, he manages to pack more skepticism and sarcasm in two words that most people ever manage in their lifetime.

“Survive all that-” Goku waves one hand unhelpfully to encompass anything and everything “-and...grow and learn, and still be good and still be **_here_ **, like you are. It’s amazing.”

It didn’t come out quite as Goku had wanted it. It had sounded better in his head than it probably is, but most of the things he did follows that pattern, and he’d made it this far, so oh well.

“Now who’s not giving themselves enough credit?” Vegeta snorts. 

Goku chuckles, but dogs on. “I mean it, Vegeta, if our places had been switched, I dunno if I’d have had the same result.”

Vegeta is quiet for a bit.. Goku is almost afraid to guess what he is thinking, but then: “...the thought of you as royalty is a very appalling one, Kakarot.”

“- **meanie** ,” Goku pouts, but he follows it up with a smile to acknowledge the point. 

They stay gazing at each other for a moment longer, and slowly the electric tension from earlier returns, saturating the air. In the proximity, something warmer and softer than before feels like it is blossoming, and Goku doesn’t want to look away. 

Vegeta, thank Kami, doesn’t.

One gloved hand comes to graze the back of the younger saiyan’s neck. Goku sighs into the tender touch, despite the vulnerability the motion exposes him to, even as he finally presses their foreheads close together, one arm circling the prince’s waist.

Whatever their differences, even if they believe in different things, he trusts Vegeta. Goku sees the goodness in him. They hurt each other to make each other stronger, and even if they see things differently, when push comes to shove, they would be there for each other. In the end, that is what truly matters. Goku fights for the challenge, Vegeta fights for survival. Goku dies to protect, Vegeta both dies and kills for it.

The two saiyans stay like that for a while, as the sky darkens overhead with the first pinpricks of starlight, enjoying the calming pressure of each other's touch. Neither make the move to turn it into anything more sexual, for the moment just basking in the warmth and the complete trust. And while he and Vegeta did not come to an agreement, and probably might never, Goku feels they understand each other a little better. 

**Author's Note:**

> Goku invented "I'm baby" -> that last image in my head when Goku sits down and blinks up at Vegeta in open, friendly way. How can anyone not melt at that baby face :'D


End file.
